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Quercus myrtifolia

Quercus myrtifolia Willd.

Myrtle Oak

Fagaceae (Beech Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: QUMY

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

GROWTH FORM: Evergreen shrub or small tree, rounded crown has crooked branches and a tendency to form thickets. BARK: gray and smooth, becoming furrowed with age. TWIGS and BUDS: pubescent reddish-brown twigs; ovoid buds that narrow to a point, reddish-brown scales, sometimes with pubescent tan tufts at apex. LEAVES: very short smooth petiole to 1/4 inch (6 mm); leaves are narrow to broadly obovate, 5/8 - 2 inches (16 - 51 mm) long, 3/8 - 1 inch (10 - 25 mm) wide, base rounded, apex rounded or with a bristletipped tooth, thick and leathery, margins with edges turned under and occasionally wavy; shiny dark green above, light green beneath with axillary tomentum and some specimens have a yellowish scurfy bloom. ACORNS: biennial; 1 - 2 acorns on each peduncle, goblet-shaped, pubescent gray cup covering 1/4 - 1/3 of the nut, inner surface pubescent; nut almost round, 1/4 - 1/2 inch (6 - 13 mm) long, dark brown when mature.

Myrtle oak is most abundant on islands off the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The largest known specimen of myrtle oak grew in Fort Clinch State Park, Nassau County, Florida, until its recent death.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous , Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Inflorescence: Catkin
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: Up to about 40 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , FL , GA , MS , NC , SC
Native Distribution: South Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Mississippi at sea level on the Coastal Plain.
Native Habitat: Dry sandy ridges in mixed stands of yellow pines and dry-site hardwoods; usually the most abundant species in scrub oak forests of Q. incana, Q. laevis, Q. marilandica, Q. margaretta, Q. geminata, and Q. virginiana.

Bibliography

Bibref 1134 - Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (2003) Stein, John D. and Denise Binion

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Additional resources

USDA: Find Quercus myrtifolia in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Quercus myrtifolia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Quercus myrtifolia

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-09-15
Research By: TWC Staff

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